Community engaged service-learning: The effect on university students and community partners
Susan Steele, Coordinator, Vandal Academic Support Services, University of Idaho [susans@uidaho.edu]
Keywords: Quasi-experimental design, moral orientation, leadership identity development, altruistic attitude, ethic of service
Conference track: Contexts and methods: Theoretical and conceptual frameworks, research designs, and methodological issues
Format: Poster presentation
Summary
Service‐learning pedagogy is uniquely situated to assist in promoting an ethic of service, rooted in values that may be shared across cultural, religious, and political boundaries. This quasi‐experimental evaluation research study focused on the effect of a community engaged service‐learning experience on the moral orientation, leadership identity development, and altruistic service attitude of university students and the impact on their community‐partner at a mid‐sized university in the Pacific Northwest.
Participants included 140 university students, enrolled in selected 100‐or 200 level introductory university courses. The intervention group participated in a service-learning project experience, the control group did not. Both were pre‐and post‐tested with the same instrument. University course assignments were used to reinforce and enhance the service-learning experience. From this program evaluative research framework, evidence was used to explain the potential impact and worth of university‐community based service‐learning on the respective university and community partner participants.
Moral orientation consists of the ethic of justice and the ethic of care as related attributes of moral reasoning orientation and was measured using the Measure of Moral Orientation-2 (Liddell, Halpin, & Halpin, 1992). Initial analysis of the online instrument with the pre‐post-test design showed that there was a statistically significant effect by gender (p < .05) for the ethic of care, but not for the ethic of justice. This reinforces the idea that moral reasoning education needs to be purposeful and practiced over time (Kohlberg, 1976; Reimer, Paolitto, & Hersh, 1990; Stoll & Beller, 1998). The modified Community Service Attitude Survey (Shiarella, 1998) measured seriousness and intention to serve, as well as service‐learning awareness and empathy, which also showed statistically significant increases (p < 0.05) as a result of the service‐learning experience. Community partner impact was assessed through survey and thematic analysis of open-ended questionnaires, written comments by administrators and community partner participants.
References
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research inPsychology, 3(2), 77–101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Ely, M., Friedman, T., Garner, D., & McCormack Steinmetz, A. (1991). Doing qualitative research:Circles within circles. New York, NY: Routledge Falmer.
Fong, B. (2002). Of character and citizenship. (D. Tritelli, Ed.) PeerReview, 8–9.
Foster, J. J., & Parker, I. (1995). Carrying out investigations in psychology: Methods and statistics. Leicester, UK: BPS Books.
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women's development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Grbich, C. (2007). Qualitative data analysis: An introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Heschel, A. J. (1965). Who is man? Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Kohlberg, L. M. (1976). Moral stages and moralization: The cognitive-developmental approach. In T. Lickona (Ed.), Moral development and behavior: Theory, research and social issues (pp. 31–53). New
York: Holt, Reinhart, & Winston.
Komives, S. R., Lucas, N., & McMahon, T. R. (2007). Exploring leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Liddell, D. L., Halpin, G., & Halpin, W. G. (1992). The measure of moral orientation: Measuring the ethics of care and justice. Journal of College Student Development, 33(4), 325–330.
Noddings, N. (2002). Caring (2nd ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press.
Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: SAGE.
Puka, B. (Ed.). (1994). Moral development: A compendium. New York, NY: Garland.
Reimer, J., Paolitto, D., & Hersh, R. (1990). Promoting moral growth from Piaget to Kohlberg. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
Rest, J. R., Narvaez, D., Thomas, S. J., & Bebeau, M. J. (2000). A neo-Kohlbergian approach to morality research. Journal of Moral Education,29(4), 381–395.
Shiarella, A. H. (1998, January). Scale of community service attitudes for college students. Paper presented at the Southwest Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
Stoll, S. K., & Beller, J. M. (1998). ETHICS* SBH ethical standard: A unique teaching methodology formoral reasoning. Moscow, ID: Center for ETHICS*, University of Idaho.
Stringer, E. T. (2007). Action research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oakes, CA: SAGE.
Todd, R. (2010). Can we develop a professional ethic of service in education? Journal of Researchon Service Learning & Teacher Education, 1(1), 1–11. Retrieved March 8, 2012, from http://www.jrslte.com/documents/2010/Ethic_of_Service.pdf
Susan Steele, Coordinator, Vandal Academic Support Services, University of Idaho [susans@uidaho.edu]
Keywords: Quasi-experimental design, moral orientation, leadership identity development, altruistic attitude, ethic of service
Conference track: Contexts and methods: Theoretical and conceptual frameworks, research designs, and methodological issues
Format: Poster presentation
Summary
Service‐learning pedagogy is uniquely situated to assist in promoting an ethic of service, rooted in values that may be shared across cultural, religious, and political boundaries. This quasi‐experimental evaluation research study focused on the effect of a community engaged service‐learning experience on the moral orientation, leadership identity development, and altruistic service attitude of university students and the impact on their community‐partner at a mid‐sized university in the Pacific Northwest.
Participants included 140 university students, enrolled in selected 100‐or 200 level introductory university courses. The intervention group participated in a service-learning project experience, the control group did not. Both were pre‐and post‐tested with the same instrument. University course assignments were used to reinforce and enhance the service-learning experience. From this program evaluative research framework, evidence was used to explain the potential impact and worth of university‐community based service‐learning on the respective university and community partner participants.
Moral orientation consists of the ethic of justice and the ethic of care as related attributes of moral reasoning orientation and was measured using the Measure of Moral Orientation-2 (Liddell, Halpin, & Halpin, 1992). Initial analysis of the online instrument with the pre‐post-test design showed that there was a statistically significant effect by gender (p < .05) for the ethic of care, but not for the ethic of justice. This reinforces the idea that moral reasoning education needs to be purposeful and practiced over time (Kohlberg, 1976; Reimer, Paolitto, & Hersh, 1990; Stoll & Beller, 1998). The modified Community Service Attitude Survey (Shiarella, 1998) measured seriousness and intention to serve, as well as service‐learning awareness and empathy, which also showed statistically significant increases (p < 0.05) as a result of the service‐learning experience. Community partner impact was assessed through survey and thematic analysis of open-ended questionnaires, written comments by administrators and community partner participants.
References
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Ely, M., Friedman, T., Garner, D., & McCormack Steinmetz, A. (1991). Doing qualitative research: Circles within circles. New York, NY: Routledge Falmer.
Fong, B. (2002). Of character and citizenship. (D. Tritelli, Ed.) PeerReview, 8–9.
Foster, J. J., & Parker, I. (1995). Carrying out investigations in psychology: Methods and statistics. Leicester, UK: BPS Books.
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women's development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Grbich, C. (2007). Qualitative data analysis: An introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Heschel, A. J. (1965). Who is man? Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Kohlberg, L. M. (1976). Moral stages and moralization: The cognitive-developmental approach. In T. Lickona (Ed.), Moral development and behavior: Theory, research and social issues (pp. 31–53). New
York: Holt, Reinhart, & Winston.
Komives, S. R., Lucas, N., & McMahon, T. R. (2007). Exploring leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Liddell, D. L., Halpin, G., & Halpin, W. G. (1992). The measure of moral orientation: Measuring the ethics of care and justice. Journal of College Student Development, 33(4), 325–330.
Noddings, N. (2002). Caring (2nd ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press.
Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: SAGE.
Puka, B. (Ed.). (1994). Moral development: A compendium. New York, NY: Garland.
Reimer, J., Paolitto, D., & Hersh, R. (1990). Promoting moral growth from Piaget to Kohlberg. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
Rest, J. R., Narvaez, D., Thomas, S. J., & Bebeau, M. J. (2000). A neo-Kohlbergian approach to morality research. Journal of Moral Education, 29(4), 381–395.
Shiarella, A. H. (1998, January). Scale of community service attitudes for college students. Paper presented at the Southwest Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
Stoll, S. K., & Beller, J. M. (1998). ETHICS* SBH ethical standard: A unique teaching methodology for moral reasoning. Moscow, ID: Center for ETHICS*, University of Idaho.
Stringer, E. T. (2007). Action research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oakes, CA: SAGE.
Todd, R. (2010). Can we develop a professional ethic of service in education? Journal of Research on Service Learning & Teacher Education, 1(1), 1–11. Retrieved March 8, 2012, from http://www.jrslte.com/documents/2010/Ethic_of_Service.pdf
Trochim, W. (2006). Research methods knowledge base. Retrieved from Web Center for Social Research Methods: http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/intreval.php
Willig, C. (2001). Introducing qualitative research in psychology: Adventures in theory and method. Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press.
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